Google announces two new communication apps

Google has announced it will be releasing two more communication apps – Allo for smart messaging and Duo for video calling – at the Google I/O 2016.

Allo is a smart messaging app that comes with the new Google Assistant built in, which brings the information directly into the chats. You can chat with the assistant one-on-one or engage it in a chat with your friends. So there is no need to switch between the apps to do things like make a dinner reservation or getting any kind of information while chatting.

“The assistant in Allo lets you bring things like Search, Maps, YouTube and Translate to all your conversations, so that you and your friends can use Google together. The Google assistant in Allo understands your world, so you can ask for things like your agenda for the day, details of your flight and hotel, or photos from your last trip. And since it understands natural language patterns, you can just chat like yourself and it’ll understand what you’re saying. For example, “Is my flight delayed?” will return information about your flight status,” said Google on its official blog.

There is also a reason why Allo is called a smart messenger, as it includes Smart Reply, which intuitively suggests responses based on the content. For instance, if someone sends you a photo of food, its suggestions may be “good appetite” or “looks delicious”. With time, the Smart Reply also learns which phrases you prefer to use more, for instance “haha” or “lol” and makes appropriate suggestions.

Furthermore, if you want to keep your correspondence secret you can choose an Incognito feature that provides end-to-end encryption, discreet notifications, and message expiration.

And this is no all news from Google. The company will also be introducing an app for video calling Duo that will be able to work even on slower or spotty networks. One of the app’s interesting features is Knock Knock. It provides you with a live video of the other caller even before you answer.

Both Allo and Duo are based on user’s phone number and both will be available this summer on Android and iOS.